Curtain-exhibitor.



PATBNTED APR. 26, 1904.

` l hwefnlo'w Peter Roush, J7; and

Jzry Eousz,

P. ROUSH, Jn & H ROUSH. CURTAIN EXHIBITOR. Brummen FILED ma a. 1903 NNMN NVN No mo'DEL.

Gimme,

PETER EoUsH, JR., AND HENRY EoUsH, or GREENEIELD, oHro, i

Patented April 26, 1904.

cUnTAm-Ex'HlBlTon.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 758,149, dated April 26, 190,4.

Application filed August 3, 1908. Serial No. 168,011. (No model.)

tion, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

Thisinvention relates to curtain-exhibitors, and has for its object to provide a simple, eiiicient, and readily-operated device for supporting a display-curtain for use in connection with a curtain-exhibitor, sothat a single dis" play-curtain may be used as a background for' all of the exhibited curtains and may be placed in operative relation to any one of said curtains in a mostconvenient and rapid manner.

To these ends our invention consists in certain novel features, which we will now proceed to describe and will then particularly point out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an elevatlon of an apparatus embodying our invention in one form, the same being shownv with the display-curtain extended Vor in operative position, the exhibited curtains being removed to show the construction; Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the exhibited curtains in place, the display-curtain being withdrawn orfolded up to be adapted to be moved from place to place; and Fig. 3 is a detail plan view 'of the inner end of the supporting-rod.

In the said drawings we have shown ourin-` vention as applied for use in connection with a curtain-exhibitor of the general style set forth in our prior Letters Patent, No.k 595,549, granted to us December 14, 1897, and No. 7 31,504, granted to us June23, 1903. It will be understood, however, that our present improvement is applicable to other curtain-exhibitors of the same general type or of any other type in connection with which it may be used.

Referring to the exhibitor itself, 1 indicatesthe base carrying the fixed bracket 2, to which is pivoted the swinging bracket 3, to which latter the upper and lower series of support ing-arms 4 and 5 are pivoted. Attached to the base 1 or supported immediately above it i is a base or block 6, to which isconnected a hinge-Joint 7 the .rear end ofI anarm 8; 'swinging in a horizontal plane over the tops .of the arms 4 and 5. This arm supports the display-curtain and its operating mechanism,

and its free end preferably extends somewhat beyondA the ends of the arms 4 and 5.' It may be su pported to prevent its free end from sagging by means of abrace 9, secured at its outer end to the top of the arm-8 near the center there- `of and extending upward and rearward to a hinge VV'connection 10 at its lrear end with the base or block 6.' 'At its front endthe swingl arm 8 is .providedwith adownward extensionf 11, which swings clear 'of' the outerends of the -arms 4 and 5 and which carries atf'itslower end below the arms5 a sleeve or similar guide 12. This guide or sleeve lQpreferably consists of a T-shaped coupling 13, the verticall member of which has a swiveling connection' with the lower end of the extension or rod 11, so as to permit the sleeve' or guide 12 to turn in the horizontal plane in which it lies. This swiveling connec`tion may be readily"effected= by threading the lowerend-of 'thero'ol 1:1 intoV they upper member of the vertical couplingl;

so that the sleeve may7 either'turnor be screwed up tight, as desired. W'ithin'theguide 12 thereh slides longitudinally 'thereof a rod '14,`fwhich supports and extends or folds the display-cub` tain 15,'which is suspended from and carried by said rod. Thezrod 14 has connected to its outer end an operating-handlel, and in order to bring this operating-handle into convenient reach of the operator, whose position is at the immediate edge-of 'thewexhibited curtains, and to save th'ene'cessity of: his s .teppingA backward from that--pos'itionftoreachlor re'- tain .his hold on the" handle vwhen 'the `curtain is folded we locate said handle Vvsome distance' infront of the extreme rear portion of the rod 14, which is bent upon. itself at its rear'er outerend and carried forward parallel with the main portion or body of the rod, as indi` cated at 17. The operating-handle is connected to the free enoll of this return portion, pref-f erablyby a pivot-joint 18. The Space betweenv lthe main and returnportions ofthe rod 141is4 suiiicient to permit the sleeve or guide 12 to move ,freely along therrod from' end to-*end' thereof. At that end of the rod 14 opposite the end to which the handle is attachedY and which we may term the inner7 endA of said rod there is located a ring 19, which serves not only as a means of attachment for one corner of the display-curtain, but also as a separator or guide to prevent the inner end of the rod from catching on or engaging with the folds of the exhibited curtain. The plane of this ring is horizontal, so as to enable it to accomplish these latter functions. The curtain 15 is connected at its inner upper corner to the ring 19', either by tying it, as indicated at 20, The outer or in any other suitable manner. upper corner of the curtain 15 is connected to the guide 12 or to some part which isso connected tosaid guide as to not partake of the sliding motion of the rod 14. In the present instance we have sho-wn this corner of the display-curtain as being tied to the lower part of the rod 11 bya loop 21. f The upper edge of the display-curtain is supported from the rod 14 in any suitable manner, preferably by means of rings 22, fastened to the upper edge of the curtain and passing around the rod.

rlhe apparatus thus constructed operates in the. following manner: The curtains to be exhibited are suspendedfrom the arms 4 and 5, asindicated at 23. When the exhibitor is not in' use, the said arms and curtains may be folded back out of the way or against the walk-.and the display-curtain arm 8 may also be folded back along with them, the whole being covered by a dust-curtain, as set forth in our prior Letters Patent, No. 731,504. When the parts are in this position, the rod 14 is pushed in, as shown in Fig. 1, the display-curtain lying between or at the side of the exhibited curtains. When it is desired to exhibit a curtain, the .dust-curtain is withdrawn and the arms 4.and5 are swung out until the particular curtain to be exhibited is inposition for thatpurpose. Such curtain is indicated by the reference-numeral 24 in Fig. 2. The operator, standing at his position at the edge of the exhibitor, then grasps the handle 16 and draws the rod 14 outward,- thereby folding up the display-curtain 15 and withdrawing it from within the exhibit-curtains. Without moving from Vthe edge of the exhibitor helcanv-then'grasp `the curtain to be displayed with. one hand, as shown in Fig. 2, and canintroduce the end of the rod 14 between it and the next curtain. By means of the handle .16;the rod may be then moved inward between the curtains, carrying with it and extending at the same time the displaycurtain y15, which is thus placed in proper position back of the exhibited curtain, so as to form a background to show the pattern thereof. During this inward movement of the rod lthe ring 19 vacts as a guide therefor .in the mjanneralready pointed out to prevent catching or -lodging of the end of the rod 14 and consequent .injury to the curtains. Further- I nore, the swiveling of the guide or sleeve 12 permits the rod to be easily guided while passing between the sample curtains, allowing it to adjust itself to their resistance in an obvious manner. This swivel connection between the guide and its supporting-rod is further advantageous in that when the rod is drawn back, as shown in Fig. 2, it extends some distance out into the room, which may be at times objectionable on account of the space over which it travels in swinging the display-curtain from side to side. This objection is obviated by the swiveling joint, which permits the rod 14 and display-curtain to be swung into a position in right angles to that shown in the drawings, in which position it 4does not extend out into the room, but lies compactly along the outer edges of the exhibited curtains.

It will be observed that our invention possesses numerous. features of advantage. It permits the employment of a single displaycurtain instead of requiring a separate displaycurtain for each sample exhibited. The independent arm which supports the displaycurtain swinging as it does above the entire exhibiting apparatus may be readily moved to any part thereof, and the construction is such that the exhibit-curtain may be rapidly placed back of any vone of the exhibited curtains, the whole operation being performed without any movement of the salesman from his natural path at the outer edge of the display, so that the apparatus is quick and convenient in use. The device is never in lthe way, folds up out of the way along with the exhibitor when not in use, and is so supported that the display-curtain does not at any time trail upon the floor and is therefore kept free from dust or dirt.

We do not wish to be understood as limiting ourselves strictly to the precise details of construction hereinbefore described, and shown in the accompanying drawings, as the same may obviously be modified without departing from the principle of our invention.

Having thus fully described our invention,

what we claim as new, and desire to secure by' Letters Patent, is-

1.` The combination, with the supportingarms of a curtain-exhibitor, of an independent arm supported above and movable over said exhibitor-arms, a display-curtain, and a supporting rod for said curtain carried by and movable with respect to said independent arm,

whereby said display-curtain may be brought `into position relatively to any one of the exhibitor-arms and extended or withdrawn from behind the curtain carried thereby, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with the supportingarms of a'curtain-exhibitor, of an independent arm pivoted to swing horizontally over said exhibitor-arms and extending downward past their free ends, a rod supported by said inde- IOO IOS

IIO

pendent arm below the supporting-arms of the exhibitor and movable horizontally with respect to said independent arm, .and a displaycurtain carried by said rod, substantially as described. Y

3. The combination, with the supportingarms of acurtain-exhibitor, of an independent arm pivoted to swing horizontally above the same and extending downward past their free ends, a rod mounted to slide horizontally in the lower end of said independent arm below the supporting arms of the exhibitor, and a display-curtain carriedl by said rod, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with the supportingarms of a curtain-exhibitor, of an independent arm pivoted to swing horizontally above the same and extending downward past their free ends, a rod having a pivotal and sliding connection with said independent arm to move in a horizontal plane below the supporting-arms of the exhibitor, and a display-curtain carried by said rod, substantially as described.

5. The combination, 'with the supportingarms of a curtain-exhibitor, of an independent arm pivoted to swing horizontally above the same, extending down past their free ends, and provided with a guiding-sleeve at its lower end, a rod mounted to slide horizontally in said sleeve, and a display-curtain connected at one end to the sleeve and at the other end to the supporting-arm, substantially as described.

6. The combination, with the supportingarins of a curtain-exhibitor, of an independent arm pivoted to swing horizontally above the same and extending downward past the free ends thereof, its lower end being provided with a swiveling horizontal guide-sleeve, a1 rod mounted to slide longitudinally in said guidesleeve, and a display-curtain carried by said` rod and having its upper corners connected to the rod and arm respectively, substantially as described.

7. The combination, with the supportingarms of a curtain-exhibitor, of an independent arm pivoted to swing above the same and eX- tending down past the free ends thereof, arod mounted to slide horizontally in the lower end of said arm and provided at its inner end with a supporting and guiding head, and a displaycurtain supported by said arm, substantially as described. l

8. The combination, with the horizontallyswinging arms of a curtain-exhibitor, of an independent arm mounted to swing horizontally above the same and extending downward past their free ends, a rod mounted to slide horizontally in the lowerv end of said independent arm and provided with a display-curtain, said .rod having an inward extension from its outer end, and a handle connected to said extension and located betweenthe ends of the rod, substantially as described.

9. The combination, with the supportingarms of a curtain-exhibitor, of an independent arm pivoted to swing above the same and extending downward past their free ends, 'its lower end being provided with a guide-sleeve, a rod mountechto slide horizontally in said guide-sleeve and provided with a handleconnected to its outer end, and a display-curtain mounted on said rod between said guide-sleeve and the inner end ofv the rod, and connected to the rod and sleeve at its upper corners respectively, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we afx our signatures in .presence of two witnesses.

PETER ROUSH, JR. HENRY ROUSH. Witnesses:

L. FARMER, GARFIELD DE Voss. 

